SATURDAY -- The Powell Panthers crowned three state champions, but were denied their third consecutive state title by a single point. Douglas, trailing by 21 points in the team score with four matches remaining, responded with three wins by fall and an overtime victory to prevent the Panthers' three-peat.
Auston Carter scored a third-period takedown, then staved off multiple desperation shots over the final 25 seconds to capture his fourth state title with a 3-2 win at 145 pounds. Colt Nix dominated action at 130 pounds, winning by technical fall 19-4 when he scored the final takedown with one second left to get bonus points for the Panthers. Randy Andrews had a major decision victory, 8-0 at 140 pounds.
Jessee Craig, Trent Gillett, Jimmy Seckman, Cole Kary and Monte Nickles finish as 2010 state runners-up at their respective weight classes.
Out in Des Moines, Trapper head coach Jim Zeigler has crowned his latest national champion as heavyweight Landon Harris improved upon last year's runner-up finish and avenged his only junior college loss of the season with a 5-0 shutout in the 285-pound finals. As a team, the Trappers finished in a fourth-place tie with St. Louis-Meramec in the final national standings.
Complete coverage of both the Wyoming 3A and the NJCAA wrestling championship will appear in Tuesday's issue of The Powell Tribune.
Earlier updates follow below...
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SATURDAY UPDATE #3 -- Powell still leads by 11.5 points at Casper as they head to the championship round. The Panthers will have eight wrestlers this session, current second-place Douglas has seven. There will be five matches featuring head-to-head pairings between the two contending schools.
In the medal round, it was a clean sweep of third place finishes for Powell. Robert Friday won a 3-1 decision to place third at 112. Olie Olson won the all-Powell battle at 125 over teammate Zach Thiel. Waylon Bays was a 10-4 winner in the third-place match at 145 and Joe Lujan wrapped up a 4-2 win to place third at 215.
Fasten your seatbelts, here comes the fun part.
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SATURDAY UPDATE #2--They're getting ready to begin the championship round in Des Moines and the Northwest College Trappers have one wrestler in pursuit of a national title. Landon Harris gets to face off against the only JUCO wrestler to defeat him this seaosn, Roger McCovey of North Idaho. Should Harris avenge the one-point loss he suffered in the Apodaca Duals, he'll also wear the crown of national champion.
Elsewhere, the Trappers have been victims of close losses today. Mak Jones is your third-place finisher at 197. Jones lost a 4-3 decision in the semifinals before rebounding with a pair of 5-2 victories to earn a spot as NWC's second-highest finisher.
Next up are McCade Ford and Saul Guerrero, both returning All-Americans this season. Ford's stellar run through the tournament was stopped via fall in the semis. Guerrero fought back through the consolation bracket, dropped a 7-3 decision in the consolation semifinals before winning by fall to wrap up a fifth-place season.
Jesse Hillhouse lost in overtime 5-4 in the semifinals, then suffered a pair of decision losses to finish up in sixth place. Nick Petersen went 1-1 on the day, falling 6-3 early before recovering to win 9-7 to secure seventh place. Jarrett Baker was eighth after his day started with a 6-4 overtime loss and then a 4-3 loss in the seventh-place match.
As a team, the Trappers have slid to fourth in the standings. The top five scholarship teams are Iowa Central 107, North Idaho 99, Labette 95.5, Northwest College 92.5 and St. Louis-Meramec 92.5. The top five teams have opened more than a 30-point gap on sixth-place.
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SATURDAY UPDATE #1 -- My apologies to folks who have been checking in hoping for results from consolation matches. The powers that be have evidently been slacking on updating online brackets. There's still no word out of Des Moines yet today, but I can finally offer some update on how things go in Casper, where they are getting ready to start the medal rounds.
The Panthers managed to build on their overnight advantage and currently hold an 11.5-point advantage over Douglas in what has become a two-team race that won't be decided until probably the last match of the day.
The Panthers have acquitted themselves nicely in the consolation rounds. Five grapplers navigated the back side of the brackets and will compete for third-place honors. Robert Friday (112) scored a couple wins by fall and a major decision in consolation action to reach the third-place match. At 125, Olie Olson and Zach Thiel had hoped to meet in the championship match. They'll have to settle for duking it out for third-place honors. Waylon Bays bounced back from a loss at 145 to register a pair of wins by fall and will also go after third place tonight. The Panthers' final third-place hopeful, Joe Lujan, rebounded from a loss in the semifinals to win by fall and score maximum points for the Panthers while reaching the consolation finals.
I'll be heading over the Casper-Northwest College basketball games soon, but I'll continue to check in and post updates as circumstances allow. With luck, I'll be back at the keyboard just as the championship finals begin.
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FRIDAY NIGHT -- We'll start in Des Moines, where Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler will be bringing home seven All-Americans from this year's national championships. The Trappers took eight wrestlers to Iowa and seven of them have reached the final eight of their divisions and will be wrestling on Saturday.
Four of those grapplers - Jesse Hillhouse (125), McCade Ford (141), Mak Jones (197) and Landon Harris (285) - will wrestle in the semifinals tomorrow morning. Harris needed less than a minute, pinning his quarterfinal foe in 59 seconds to advance with his second win by fall of the tournament. Ford was nearly as impressive, adding to his second-round win by fall by posting his second major decision victory of the tournament, 14-4 in the quarterfinals. Ford is wrestling extremely well for the Trappers. Hillhouse and Jones each had to grind out their spots in the semifinals. Hillhouse took a 4-2 decision while Jones followed late in the day with a 3-1 win.
On the backside of the bracket, Briston Brenton's dream of becoming an All-American came up one win shy as he dropped a 9-5 decision to narrowly miss a Saturday assignment. Saul Guerrero lost an 8-4 quarterfinal decision, but bounced back with a win by fall to secure his second season on the All-America roster. Nick Petersen took Iowa Central's chances of a national title defense down a peg by eliminating the IC wrestler at 174 with a first-period win by fall to reach the final eight. Jarrett Baker, at 184, joined Hillhouse as freshmen All-Americans this season by edging his foe 4-3 to wrap up his first day of action in the national tournament.
As a team, the Trappers are currently second in the nation with 72.5 points, 11.5 points behind surprise Harper. West Central regional champion Labette is third at 69 with Iowa Central fourth with 65 points. St. Louis-Meramec is fifth at 60 points. This is a tight field, so it is still anyone's game.
It is still anyone's game in Casper as well, but your Powell Panthers carry a 216-213 lead over Douglas into the overnight of the 3A state championships. After a disappointing quarterfinal round, the Panthers bounced back with an 8-3 performance in the semifinals, meaning eight Panthers will be wrestling for state titles tomorrow.
Auston Carter scored a 20-9 major decision against his Douglas foe. He needs a victory over Wheatland's Tyler Smart on Saturday to join the elite ranks of four-time Wyoming state champions. Jessee Craig also captured a pivotal win against a Douglas opponent and will head for the 119-pound championship match after a 10-7 decision.
If it wasn't for Carter's drive for history, Trent Gillett's pillaging of the 135-pound division would be the talk of the 3A tournament. Gillett finally had to work past the midpoint of the first period, but still made it look easy as he registered a win by fall at the 1:18 mark. Monte Nickles (189) also grabbed a win by fall, needing just 61 seconds to secure a place in Saturday's finals. Cole Kary (160) also scored a win by fall to reach the championships.
Your other finalists on Saturday include Colt Nix (13-11 semifinal winner at 130), Randy Andrews (13-5 winner at 140) and Jimmy Seckman (5-3 winner at 152). There are five head-to-head matchups between Powell and Douglas wrestlers slated for Saturday's championship round as the two schools are nearly 90 points clear of third-place Worland.
A host of Panthers remain on the consolation side of things as well. I'll try to provide a rundown of how things shape up on that side of the bracket first thing in the morning. Rest well Powell, Saturday is going to be a very pivotal day of action on the wrestling mats.
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UPDATE #3 -- The two-horse race that many speculated the 3A state title race might turn into at the state wrestling championships is off and running. Right now, Panther fans, our horse isn't in front. Douglas holds a slim 124-120 lead in the team standings after the championship quarterfinals. It's a long way back to third place.
Eleven Panther grapplers remain alive on the championship side of the bracket, but Powell's three-peat hopes definitely took a hit by going 11-8 in the quarterfinals. One of those not affected was Trent Gillett, who continues to make very short work of the opposition. Gillett was one of six Panthers to win by fall in the first period, needing just 43 seconds to have his arm raised in victory. That means his time in Casper thus far has amounted to 1:16 of work to reach the semifinals.
Auston Carter's four-time championship dreams stayed alive as well. He needed just 1:08 to pin his opponent and advance within two victories of a prep career title sweep. Olie Olson, Randy Andrews, Jimmy Seckman and Monte Nickles also finished business before the first period clock expired. Also advancing to the championship semifinals are Jessee Craig, Zach Thiel, Colt Nix, Cole Kary and Joe Lujan. The possibility of an all-Powell championship match at 125 between Olson and Thiel is on the table.
Semifinal matches at 119 (Craig) and 145 (Carter) carry significant weight for the Panthers' title hopes as they feature the round's only head-to-head meeting of Powell and Douglas grapplers. Like Powell, Douglas also has 11 wrestlers still on the championship side of the bracket. As close as the team chase is, every match involving either school has state title implications. For the record, no other 3A school is carrying more than seven wrestlers on the championship side at this stage.
Team standings (top three): 1. Douglas 124, 2. Powell 120, 3. Worland 76.5.
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UPDATE #2 -- With no team scores from the NJCAA national championships and another 90 minutes until the evening session begins out in Iowa, yours truly decided to get a little creative. Of the 27 schools with wrestlers in the championship quarterfinals, only four -- defending national champion Iowa Central (7), Labette County (7), Nassau (6) and St. Louis-Meramec (6) -- have more wrestlers remaining on the championship side of the bracket than NWC. The Trappers are joined by North Idaho and Southwest Oregon with five wrestlers in the quarterfinals. All in all, Northwest College is off to a solid start toward another top 10 finish.
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UPDATE #1 -- All eight Northwest College wrestlers remain alive after four rounds of action today. Returning All-Americans Saul Guerrero (133), McCade Ford (141) and Landon Harris (285) are joined by sophomore Mak Jones (197) and freshman Jesse Hillhouse (125) in the championship quarterfinals. Guerrero, Ford and Harris have all picked up extra team points for the Trappers by recording wins by fall. Ford also had a 19-6 major decision in his opener. Brison Brenton (157), Nick Petersen (174) and Jarrett Baker (184) each won their opening matches before falling in round two. Each has since survived their first consolation match with Petersen advancing on a medical forfeit and Brenton and Baker both rolling to major decision wins. No word on team scores and it looks like updates from Des Moines will be sporadic, but we'll check in as events allow.
They're through the first round in Casper and the Powell Panthers' quest for a three-peat is off to a dashing start. Powell is in the lead, three points clear of second-place Douglas, after going 18-4 in opening-round matches.
Considering two of those four losses came in matches where two Powell wrestlers were forced to open state competition against each other, that's not looking too shabby at all. Charles Wittick, Drew Feller, Mike Mundy and Kurt Bullinger were the unfortunate four relegated early to the consolation bracket.
Auston Carter's quest for a fourth state championship got off to a positive start. Carter needed just 52 seconds to end his first-round match by fall. While that's an impressive start, it doesn't even begin to qualify for fastest pin of the tournament honors among Powell grapplers. That title currently goes to Cole Kary, who took just 24 seconds in dispatching Torrington's Isaac Brown. Honorable mention nods go to Trent Gillett (won by fall in 0:34) and Monte Nickles (0:35).
Team standings (top three): 1. Powell 52, 2. Douglas 49, 3. Worland 37.
More information after the quarterfinals.
Friday, February 26, 2010
State swim and Quake hockey
UPDATE #3 -- Why am I posting a hockey score in the same thread as the state swimming results? Well, hockeyis played on ice, which is, after all, frozen water. So there is a method to my madness.
Besides, I don't want to put too many different threads in the blog and risk burying other content that might be of interest to readers.
The Yellowstone Quake wrapped up their sweep of Missoula on Friday night with a 5-4 win over the Maulers in Montana. Jake Doty's game-winning goal came just seconds after the Maulers had rallied to tie the game at 4-4. Yellowstone jumped out to a quick lead, scoring twice in the opening five minutes, but Missoula rallied with a trio of goals for a 3-2 advantage after 20 minutes. The Quake took the lead back early in the second period and held the 4-3 cushion until Missoula tied matters with nine minutes left in the game.
The Quake host Helena, which wrapped up a sweep of Billings with an 11-1 blowout on Friday, in Game 1 of the NORPAC America West divisional championship series on Tuesday. The Quake will also host the Bighorns on Wednesday. Both games are tentatively slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., but check Tuesday's Powell Tribune for possible revisions to the playoff schedule for the best-of-five series.
Earlier updates follow below...
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UPDATE #2: Devin Lynn turned in Powell's top performance in the second half of finals today, placing sixth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:10.53. Teammate Billy Cummings was eighth in that race, swimming a faster time at 1:10.33, but only qualifying for the consolation race out of prelims. Cole Good was unable to climb higher in the diving finals, finishing in the same seventh place position that he began the round it. Good opened the finals just two points from sixth, but finished with a total score of 265.95 points, roughly 14 points out of sixth. Powell scored one other "near miss" this afternoon with a seventh-place 200 freestyle relay time of 1:44.27. Other consolation swim performers included Jarred LaPierre and Kyle Anderson in the 500 free, Trent Eckerdt in the 100 fly, and Billy Cummings in the 100 breaststroke. Powell's 400 free relay placed ninth overall.
UPDATE #1: The finals are underway in Gillette. The Panthers' 200 medley relay pulled through with a fifth-place finish, improving one spot on their prelim position, after clocking a time of 1:59.1 in the finals. Devin Lynn has matched his sixth-place showing in prelims by swimming to a similar finish in the finals of the 200 IM with a time of 2:18.04. Jarred LaPierre was 12th overall in the 200 free, clocking a 2:11.19 in the consolation race. Cole Good is up right now in the diving finals, having entered in seventh position, less than two points from a spot in the top six.
Getting the ball rolling on championship watch...Devin Lynn was sixth in the 200 IM prelims (2:17.91) and 100 breaststroke (1:10.14). Both times improved on season-best results based on information submitted for seeding and lane assignments. Cole Good was seventh after the diving semifinals with a score of 197.65, less than two points out of sixth position. The Panthers' 200 relay also turned in a sixth-place prelim time of 1:57.87.
More from Gillette as the finals continue today.
Besides, I don't want to put too many different threads in the blog and risk burying other content that might be of interest to readers.
The Yellowstone Quake wrapped up their sweep of Missoula on Friday night with a 5-4 win over the Maulers in Montana. Jake Doty's game-winning goal came just seconds after the Maulers had rallied to tie the game at 4-4. Yellowstone jumped out to a quick lead, scoring twice in the opening five minutes, but Missoula rallied with a trio of goals for a 3-2 advantage after 20 minutes. The Quake took the lead back early in the second period and held the 4-3 cushion until Missoula tied matters with nine minutes left in the game.
The Quake host Helena, which wrapped up a sweep of Billings with an 11-1 blowout on Friday, in Game 1 of the NORPAC America West divisional championship series on Tuesday. The Quake will also host the Bighorns on Wednesday. Both games are tentatively slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., but check Tuesday's Powell Tribune for possible revisions to the playoff schedule for the best-of-five series.
Earlier updates follow below...
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UPDATE #2: Devin Lynn turned in Powell's top performance in the second half of finals today, placing sixth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:10.53. Teammate Billy Cummings was eighth in that race, swimming a faster time at 1:10.33, but only qualifying for the consolation race out of prelims. Cole Good was unable to climb higher in the diving finals, finishing in the same seventh place position that he began the round it. Good opened the finals just two points from sixth, but finished with a total score of 265.95 points, roughly 14 points out of sixth. Powell scored one other "near miss" this afternoon with a seventh-place 200 freestyle relay time of 1:44.27. Other consolation swim performers included Jarred LaPierre and Kyle Anderson in the 500 free, Trent Eckerdt in the 100 fly, and Billy Cummings in the 100 breaststroke. Powell's 400 free relay placed ninth overall.
UPDATE #1: The finals are underway in Gillette. The Panthers' 200 medley relay pulled through with a fifth-place finish, improving one spot on their prelim position, after clocking a time of 1:59.1 in the finals. Devin Lynn has matched his sixth-place showing in prelims by swimming to a similar finish in the finals of the 200 IM with a time of 2:18.04. Jarred LaPierre was 12th overall in the 200 free, clocking a 2:11.19 in the consolation race. Cole Good is up right now in the diving finals, having entered in seventh position, less than two points from a spot in the top six.
Getting the ball rolling on championship watch...Devin Lynn was sixth in the 200 IM prelims (2:17.91) and 100 breaststroke (1:10.14). Both times improved on season-best results based on information submitted for seeding and lane assignments. Cole Good was seventh after the diving semifinals with a score of 197.65, less than two points out of sixth position. The Panthers' 200 relay also turned in a sixth-place prelim time of 1:57.87.
More from Gillette as the finals continue today.
Championship Weekend Begins
With The Sports Guy still grounded from long travel pending the arrival of a newborn, yours truly is going to do his best to keep on top of things from a distance this weekend. Check in with The Powell Tribune's blog throughout the day as I'll post updates from the NJCAA wrestling championships, the state swim meet and the state wrestling championships. We'll let you know tonight if Wyoming's Junior-A hockey team, the Yellowstone Quake, is able to bring out the brooms and sweep Missoula and advance to the NORPAC America West divisional championship series...and then tomorrow we'll do it all over again.
No need to juggle websites or make cell phone calls to a bunch of your friends. Just poke your head in here from time to time.
Who knows...you might even get a sneak peak at next week's birth announcements.
No need to juggle websites or make cell phone calls to a bunch of your friends. Just poke your head in here from time to time.
Who knows...you might even get a sneak peak at next week's birth announcements.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
An interactive map of the Halloween vandalism
There was a lot of vandalism last Halloween and I thought it might be interesting for folks to see the incidents plotted on a map, similar to the continually updated map the Powell Police department has on their Web site. However, this map includes just the Halloween vandalism, with their descriptions, some photos, and damage estimates of the various markings inserted.
An estimated $2,473 worth of damage was caused by graffiti around town, while vehicle damage at Bob's Auto was believed to be roughly $12,750. Criminal charges are pending in the two, unrelated, instances.
Information used in the map is drawn from Powell Police reports and statements from police and prosecutors. Click on each point to pull up a description.
View the Halloween Vandalism in a larger map
An estimated $2,473 worth of damage was caused by graffiti around town, while vehicle damage at Bob's Auto was believed to be roughly $12,750. Criminal charges are pending in the two, unrelated, instances.
Information used in the map is drawn from Powell Police reports and statements from police and prosecutors. Click on each point to pull up a description.
View the Halloween Vandalism in a larger map
Nobody’s dupes

Those darn sheep are an intelligent lot. They were sharp enough to hang in a location along the South Fork of the Shoshone River where hunting is prohibited.
Of course it’s winter, so there are no stalkers in blaze orange afoot, but these critters, nonetheless were practicing vigilance.
Anyway, I was out with Wendy Smith’s environmental science Wyoming wildlife biology class from Powell High School and had the opportunity to snap this picture. Stick around. I’ll have a story and a photo or two in the paper next week.
Being an outdoors buff, I had a blast.
Dennie Hammer of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, joined the party too, so I might’ve even learned something. Maybe.
Hammer, Smith and a couple of her brainiac pupils really tried to teach me, but unfortunately, I have a short attention span and my brain has been on the blink of late.
Where was I?
Don’t tell my boss, but it was marvelous getting paid to spend the day in a place I dig. It was also truly gratifying to see youth studying and appreciating nature in all its glory.
I might be going out on a limb here, but I believe Hammer and Smith enjoyed sharing the great outdoors with their youthful charges.
Quake take commanding lead in series
For the second time in as many nights, the Yellowstone Quake pulled away in the third period of their NORPAC America West hockey playoff game against the Missoula Maulers to claim victory. Nick Hinsberg provided the go-ahead goal midway through the final period Wednesday night and Andrew Lord put the final touch on a 5-3 win with an empty net goal with seconds remaining.
The result gives the Quake a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
"This was a big win," noted Quake coach Sean Hogan. "If we go to Missoula tied at one game each, then it is a whole new series. Especially since we sort of backed into home ice advantage, we're very happy to be ahead two games to none."
Hinsberg's go-ahead goal came just 45 seconds after Missoula struck to tie the game at 3-3. It also filled a sort of recurring theme of the evening. Every time the Maulers got the game back to level, the Quake were there in short order to celebrate another goal.
"We never panicked," said Hogan. "We just went out and found an answer."
Mathew Schulz opened the scoring with a first-period goal. Tyler Boyce and Chris Rinaldi added tallies in the second period to set the table for the last 20 minutes. Lord and Hinsberg each finished with two assists on the night.
"We've still got some work to do on the defensive zone," Hogan said. "We'll address it, but I think we're in good shape."
The series heads to Missoula for games Friday and, if necessary, Saturday. Game 5, if needed, will be back in Cody at 4 p.m., Sunday.
Should the Quake win any one of those games, Cody will host playoff games next Tuesday and Wednesday in the NORPAC America West championship series. For the second night in a row, Helena scored a 4-2 win over Billings on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in that series.
The result gives the Quake a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
"This was a big win," noted Quake coach Sean Hogan. "If we go to Missoula tied at one game each, then it is a whole new series. Especially since we sort of backed into home ice advantage, we're very happy to be ahead two games to none."
Hinsberg's go-ahead goal came just 45 seconds after Missoula struck to tie the game at 3-3. It also filled a sort of recurring theme of the evening. Every time the Maulers got the game back to level, the Quake were there in short order to celebrate another goal.
"We never panicked," said Hogan. "We just went out and found an answer."
Mathew Schulz opened the scoring with a first-period goal. Tyler Boyce and Chris Rinaldi added tallies in the second period to set the table for the last 20 minutes. Lord and Hinsberg each finished with two assists on the night.
"We've still got some work to do on the defensive zone," Hogan said. "We'll address it, but I think we're in good shape."
The series heads to Missoula for games Friday and, if necessary, Saturday. Game 5, if needed, will be back in Cody at 4 p.m., Sunday.
Should the Quake win any one of those games, Cody will host playoff games next Tuesday and Wednesday in the NORPAC America West championship series. For the second night in a row, Helena scored a 4-2 win over Billings on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in that series.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Trappers get six to finals
They're midway through the West Central regional wrestling tournament in Colby, Kan., and the No. 4 Northwest College Trappers currently trail No. 3 Labette in the team standings by nine points.
Six members of the Trappers' lineup will be competing for regional titles later in the day. Jesse Hillhouse (125), Saul Guerrero (133), McCade Ford (141), Nick Peterson (174), Mak Jones (197) and Landon Harris (285) all have a chance at titles and a high spot on the 32-man national tournament bracket.
Bobby Robins (149), Briston Brenton (157), Zach Oppenheimer (165) and Jarrett Baker (184) remain alive on the consolation side of the bracket, which will see action on Saturday afternoon. The top three in each weight division automatically qualify for the national championships. Additional wild-card berths will also be handed out immediately following the conclusion of the day's wrestling.
A complete rundown of the West Central regional wrestling tournament will appear in Tuesday's issue of The Powell Tribune.
Six members of the Trappers' lineup will be competing for regional titles later in the day. Jesse Hillhouse (125), Saul Guerrero (133), McCade Ford (141), Nick Peterson (174), Mak Jones (197) and Landon Harris (285) all have a chance at titles and a high spot on the 32-man national tournament bracket.
Bobby Robins (149), Briston Brenton (157), Zach Oppenheimer (165) and Jarrett Baker (184) remain alive on the consolation side of the bracket, which will see action on Saturday afternoon. The top three in each weight division automatically qualify for the national championships. Additional wild-card berths will also be handed out immediately following the conclusion of the day's wrestling.
A complete rundown of the West Central regional wrestling tournament will appear in Tuesday's issue of The Powell Tribune.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Bet on a Simpson run in 2010
Wyoming Speaker of the House Colin Simpson isn't saying if he's running for governor in 2010, but his Web activities haven't been quite as tight-lipped.
Last month, Simpson unveiled a brand new Web site, www.simpsonforwyoming.com.
Other than the lack of the word 'governor' (it refers only to his title as Speaker of the House), it looks like nothing short of a snazzy gubernatorial campaign page. It's complete with a page to accept campaign contributions.
Further, when I signed up for email updates on Simpson's site a few weeks back, I got this seemingly unambiguous, automated message in return:
On Wednesday, the Associated Press noted that Simpson's gubernatorial exploratory committee was running no-new-tax ads on the conservative news site, The Drudge Report. (An example is
pictured at right.)
On Thursday, Simpson sent out a press release re-stating his commitment to wait until "the conclusion of the upcoming Legislative Session" before announcing his intentions. (He's got 15 or so days to go.) In the release, Simpson stated that he takes his position as Speaker of the House "very seriously" and needs to put his focus there.
"I hired on for this job and I am committed to carrying out my responsibilities to Wyoming and its people," Simpson said.
In waiting to make his campaign official, he joins the announced GOP candidates who apparently decided to run well before they made the formal announcement.
Though former state agriculture director Ron Micheli didn't officially declare his candidacy until Jan. 26, his Web site, www.micheliforgovernor.com, launched early last summer. The domain name was registered back in March.
It looks like former U.S. Attorney Matt Mead (who declared on Jan. 22) started seriously mulling a run long before that. His campaign domain, www.meadforgovernor.com, was registered way back in December 2008.
State Auditor Rita Meyer's site, www.ritameyer.com, predates them all, having been registered in 2005. However, as her deputy campaign manager told me, that's because Meyer used the generic domain for her run for auditor in 2006 and simply re-tooled it for her run for the governorship.
Unsurprisingly, www.govcohee.com and www.three-denthal.com have yet to be registered.
Last month, Simpson unveiled a brand new Web site, www.simpsonforwyoming.com.
Other than the lack of the word 'governor' (it refers only to his title as Speaker of the House), it looks like nothing short of a snazzy gubernatorial campaign page. It's complete with a page to accept campaign contributions.
Further, when I signed up for email updates on Simpson's site a few weeks back, I got this seemingly unambiguous, automated message in return:
Thank you for joining my campaign to serve as a jobs-creating Governor for all Wyomingites.Doesn't sound like there's much left for Simpson to do other than make his bid official.
You can stay involved with my campaign on a daily basis by following me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/simpson4wyoming), and becoming a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SimpsonForWyoming).
With your help, we will bring new jobs and opportunities to the Cowboy State
On Wednesday, the Associated Press noted that Simpson's gubernatorial exploratory committee was running no-new-tax ads on the conservative news site, The Drudge Report. (An example is

On Thursday, Simpson sent out a press release re-stating his commitment to wait until "the conclusion of the upcoming Legislative Session" before announcing his intentions. (He's got 15 or so days to go.) In the release, Simpson stated that he takes his position as Speaker of the House "very seriously" and needs to put his focus there.
"I hired on for this job and I am committed to carrying out my responsibilities to Wyoming and its people," Simpson said.
In waiting to make his campaign official, he joins the announced GOP candidates who apparently decided to run well before they made the formal announcement.
Though former state agriculture director Ron Micheli didn't officially declare his candidacy until Jan. 26, his Web site, www.micheliforgovernor.com, launched early last summer. The domain name was registered back in March.
It looks like former U.S. Attorney Matt Mead (who declared on Jan. 22) started seriously mulling a run long before that. His campaign domain, www.meadforgovernor.com, was registered way back in December 2008.
State Auditor Rita Meyer's site, www.ritameyer.com, predates them all, having been registered in 2005. However, as her deputy campaign manager told me, that's because Meyer used the generic domain for her run for auditor in 2006 and simply re-tooled it for her run for the governorship.
Unsurprisingly, www.govcohee.com and www.three-denthal.com have yet to be registered.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Not printed, so we'll post: 2.2.10 photos
For each edition of the Tribune, we sort through dozens of photos, selecting the ones that will be published in the paper. Actually, sometimes we go through thousands, just for a single edition. Over the weekend, Tribune photographer Kara Bacon snapped more than 2,000 shots at Sleeping Giant Ski Area's Rails and Bails Festival.
Often times, those dozens — or thousands, as the case may be — of photographs are stored away in our archives, some never to resurface again. Rather than let the pictures disappear in digital archives, we decided we'd share a few here on the blog.
For the Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 Tribune, here are pictures that didn't make the paper — ones that we thought are still worth taking a gander at:

Damin Hass of Worland slides off the end of a picnic table feature at Sleeping Giant's first annual Rails & Bails Festival Saturday during the open class snowboard division. Tribune photo by Kara Bacon





Often times, those dozens — or thousands, as the case may be — of photographs are stored away in our archives, some never to resurface again. Rather than let the pictures disappear in digital archives, we decided we'd share a few here on the blog.
For the Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 Tribune, here are pictures that didn't make the paper — ones that we thought are still worth taking a gander at:

Damin Hass of Worland slides off the end of a picnic table feature at Sleeping Giant's first annual Rails & Bails Festival Saturday during the open class snowboard division. Tribune photo by Kara Bacon

Cody resident Zach Christiansen skis off a rail in the Sleeping Giant terrain park. He took home first place for 13 and under skiing. Tribune photo by Kara Bacon

Much to the delight of Powell residents, Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley served drinks downtown at Table 7 over the weekend. The football player is visiting family in Powell. Tribune photo by Toby Bonner

Getting an eyeful: This beautiful bighorn sheep ewe was being prepped for travel when the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured 12 bighorn sheep in Devil’s Canyon area of the Big Horn Mountains for transfer to the Seminoe Mountains, north of Sinclair, just last week. Tribune photos by Gib Mathers

Getting an eyeful: This beautiful bighorn sheep ewe was being prepped for travel when the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured 12 bighorn sheep in Devil’s Canyon area of the Big Horn Mountains for transfer to the Seminoe Mountains, north of Sinclair, just last week. Tribune photos by Gib Mathers

The butt stops here: Game Warden Craig Sax was butted in the schnoz when he was attempting to load a ram in a trailer for transport to the Seminoes. No mammals whether clad in boots or hooves were seriously injured. Sax was the only casualty, suffering a bloody nose. Still, Sax was sort of the butt of his own good-natured jokes when he offered a few wisecracks to his colleagues.

This bighorn sheep ram was swinging like a pendulum and threatening to clock Bighorn Sheep Coordinator Kevin Hurley last week. Fortunately, Hurley was able to arrest the ram’s skylarking and get the young ram ready for ground transport.

A frost-laden fence was one of the many winter sights Powell residents awoke to last Thursday morning.
Tribune photo by Ilene Olson
Tribune photo by Ilene Olson
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